Internal-combustion engine



:M y 6, 1930. w. o. M IC ZHELSEN 1,757,645

r INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE FiledFbzZO, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 AAA/\ E TOR ATTORNEYs w. o. MICHELSEN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE May 6, 1930.

Filed Feb. 20, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 $6M Ma h- ATTORNEYS A starting.

Patented May 6, 1930 WILLIAM OTTO MICHELSEN, on woommvnn, NEW YORK ,INTnRn L- -coMBusTIoN ENGINE Application filed February 20, 1929. Serial No. 341,480.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in internal combustion engines, especially as used in automobile construction and in particular to facilitate their It is a known fact, that when starting an internal combustion engine while it is cold, by means of an electric motor that is supplied withelectric current from a battery, which simultaneously is furnishing current for the ignition system of said engine, an arrange- V ment that is generally embodied in the power plant of an automobile, that-this battery is often overloaded by the heavy discharge that thestarting motor'imposes upon it. This heavy discharge is still further increased in n cold weather when'the oil in the engineis congealed and resists the efiorts of the startsiderablelowering of thevoltage available 7 for ignition'of .theengine. F reqiiently the gap formed between the spark plug electrodes, too wide for the purpose of starting the engine, causes failure to produce a spark until after the engine has been turned over.

a number of times and the resistanceof the crank case oil has thereby been reduced.v

This is particularly true when the battery is not fully charged.

an engine is being started, the operating of the priming means, often referred to asfthe choke valve, results in'a very 'richmixture bein transmitted into the engine cylinders,

the engine.

It is, therefore,

invention to provide means for temporarily" reducing the spark gaps in the several spark 40 plugs of the engine and to simultaneously actuate the priming device whereby sparks will be insured and a rich mixture directed into the cylinders for ignition by'said sparks; This reduces the length of timethat is'neces,-,

a sary to apply the startingmotor, and consequently preservesthe battery. j i g Another object of the inventin is a'slight widening of the working gap, as compared to theone generally'employed in theordinary ing motor to a greater extent, eft'ectinga conthereby greatly facilitating the starting of:

lines. and the adj usted' position of V able electroderin dotted lines. g

constant gap spark plug, This is permissible, because no allowance has to:be made in determining this gap, for the overtaxed condition ofthe battery when starting the engine. The advantage gained is a larger spark, a consequent more instantaneous and more complete combustion, which results inmore power. Also idling of the engine is improved since the'l'arger spark is better able to ignite the small quantity of gas mixture 7 that is allowed'to enter the engine;

it Still further object of the inventionlies in the provision of a manually operableelee ment by means of which the movable electrodes of the spark plugswillbe actuated in unison and the priming means operated simultaneously with the actuation of said movable electrodes. r I

With these and other objects in :view which will more fully appear, thenature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following 'the' description, the appended claims, and the several Views illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In thedrawingsi a Figure lis a side elevation of an internal combustion engine showing the application of my invention, V

i p if Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view partly in Furthermore, it is a known fact that when section showing. themanually operable element for simultaneously actuating the movable electrodes and the choke valve, 7

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan View of the engine without the contact manifold but showing the means for simultaneously actu- V v ating the movableelectrodesin unison, one of the. objectsof my.

Figure 4 is anfenlarged sectional view of 7 one of the spark plugs showingan actuating ma-liposition of the movable electrode in full 7 said I mov- I have illustrated an internal combustion en- 7 gine A which includes the usual intake mane ifold AV, the carburetor B having a normally open choke valve C, and a plurality of spark 5 plugs D. The choke valve C is of the usual construction and includes a supporting shaft '5, an -actuating rock arm 6,-and a spring 7 which has one end connected to the arm 6 and the other end to the carburetor to yieldably retain ithe avalve EC in iitsrnpen'zposition. The spark plugs D are arranged in alinement and in a plane extending'long'itudinally of the engine.

Each spark plug includes "the'usualm etal- Elic conductor 'plug .8 in which .aninsulator 9 is centrally mounted in .the usual ,manner.

A fixed electrode 10 is secured to the'inner .end .oi't the ,plug 8 and includes a stem which terminates in a laterally extending arm 11. The insulator Q9 provided with an axially .jilisposed .bore 12 which extends throughout thelengfih off-the insulator,'l-and journaled in here is ,aemovable electrode 13 which in :cludes at (the inner end of the plug a stem extending arm 15 whichis Ushaped .in plan view as ,shownfinTigxfi. Thus, .the arm 15 includes .a curved outer face which is dis- :a .posedeeccentricallytostheiaxis of'the movable electrode. "The; .arm 15 is disposed in the lsameplane asthe armTll ofthefixed electrode and the distancebe'tween the axis of the moviable electrode .13 and the terminal end of the ,portion -15 'is less -than the distance between said axisand theterminal' end of the arm 11.

V When'the mova-ble electrode j is in its normal posit-ion, that is, in the full lineposition shown'in Figure '6, a spark gap is provided betweenthe terminal endsoffthe two e'lectrodes which is of apredetermined size for usewhen the -engine is warm. Usuallythis normal spar'k gap is .O30inc'h. When "the movable electrode 13 is oscillated toitheidot 7, tedline position show-nin 'Figurefi, the ,spark gap will begradua'lly reduced .by reason of the eccentric shape of the contact arm' l5,

.until the spark gap is about 1015 "inch in width; 7 V 1 In :order .to simultaneously :actuate the movable electrodes of the several spark plugs in unison whereby al'l Inf-the spark gaps will varied,"'I have fixed on actuating arm 16 to each movable electrode 13 for oscillating said I electrode in theFbore 12. Each electrode 13 "is "held against longitudinal "movement relati-vetotheinsulator 9 byreason of a flange 17 "formed on theinner end of the electrode and cooperating with aseat formed-in thein- Li) sulaftor,*and by*aplurality'ofclamping nuts 18 which are threaded :ont-o theouter end of said electrode 13. Agasket '17 is'iplaced :be-

a tween "flange 1.7 i-iand the seat formed in the insulator,to insure: a: compression "tight j oint, 7

i wear of gasket 17. A sleeve 19 isloosely fit- 14.' This stem. 14 terminates in a laterally ted over electrode 13, permitting same to rotate. It is equipped with a groove 19 to receive the clip 20 of the conductor lead 21. As i an alternative the nut 19 is threaded on the shoulder of the sleeve 19 to clamp therebetween the clip 20, if so desired, The actuating arms 16 extend from" the respective plugs in the same general direction and are connected to a single actuating link 22 through 'theimediumiof pin and slot connections 23. A

coil spring 24 is connected at one endto the li1ik 22and at its other end to an upstanding ear 25 formed on a bracket 26 which is bolted tothe head 270T the engine. The spring 24 (functions to yieldably retain the movable .electrodes;:in their normal positions with the maximum gaps between the electrodes. It will'ibe observed that upon a ;pull on the'link 22 in a direction against the tension of the e springEZ l, all of theactuating arms'16-willbe operated "simultaneously and the movable electrodes 13 will be oscillated so asto simul j .taneously and uniformly, decrease the sizes ofthe spark ,g'aps inthe several plugs.

It 'is a known ,fact that when'starting an internal combustion engine while itis cold, the battery is overtaxed and this 'is particularly true when the battery charge is below normal. Under these conditions,iit is neces.-; sary to actuate "the priming means'so as to supply the engine with a; very rich'mixture,

and also desirable to reduce the size of the spark gap in order to insure sparks in the i-spark'plugs.

In order to close the choke valveC and to 0 simultaneously actuate the movable electrodes to reduce the spark gaps, "I have "provided a manually operable. element "E which is mounted on the dash X of-the motor-vehicle. This mountin'gnin'cludesa sleeve 28 which is clamped'to the dash. Anrextension tube :29 is fixedly located f'within lthe sleeve'28,land a stem30 which'is'fixed to the .xmanually operable element E, is slidably mounted'within the tube29. A U-shaped I bracket '31 has one {of its legs 32 :clamped to the tube 29. A Bowden wire 33, or other connection, has one end slidably mounted in the other leg 34 of the bracket 31 and "this: end'is r-igidly connected' to a cross-head 35 which is mounted on a screw 36 having threaded adjustable engagement with thev stem 30;. The other end of the wire 33 is connected'to'the actuating arm 6 of the choke valve'C. A second ,Bowden wire'37 has one endsl-idably mounted in the leg 34 of the bracket '31 and is fixedly connected to r the Icross-head35,'the other end of the wire 3? being connected to the actuating link 22. 125

In operation, assuming the engine to be -cold, the operator pulls on the manually operable hand piece E and consequently the choke valve C is closedirand .the spark rgapsr are reduced. After the engine has started,

the operator gradually returns the hand piece E as the engine warms-up and the springs 7 and 24 respectively return the choke valve C to its normal open position and the movable electrodes to their normal or side gap positions.

In order to limit the extreme positions of the movable electrodes, I have provided the bracket 26 with spaced posts 38 and 39 which form stops for cooperation with one of the actuating arms 16. 1'

I claim:

1. The combination of an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, a spark plug associated with each cylinder, each plug including two electrodes one being movable relative to the other to vary the spark gap therebetween, and an intake manifold, a carburetor including a normally inoperative priming device, and means for operating the priming device and for simultaneously actuating the movable electrodes in unison and in a direction to decrease the spark gaps of the several plugs.

2. The combination of a internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, a spark plug associated with each cylyieldable means for normally holding the priming device in its inoperative position, and a manually operable element for operating the priming device against the tension of.

movable relative to the other to vary the, spark gap therebetween, and an intakemanifold, a carburetor including a normally inoperative'priming device,means for operat-v ing the priming device and for simultaneously actuating the movable electrodes in unison and ma direction to decrease. the

spark gaps of the several plugs, and means for limiting the movement of the operating means. V

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name. WILLIAM OTTO MICHELSEN.

inder, each plug including two electrodes one being movable relative to the other to vary the s ark gap therebetween, and an intake manitold, a carburetor including a normally 1 inoperative priming device, and operating means including a manually operable element for operating the priming device and for simultaneously actuating the movable electrodes in unison and in a direction to decrease the spark gaps of the several plugs.

3. The combination of an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cyl-' inders, a spark plug associated with each cyl inder, each plug including two electrodes one 7 being movable relative to the other to vary the spark gap therebetween, and an intake manifold, a carburetor including a normally inoperative priming device, and operating means for operating the priming device and for simultaneously actuating the movable electrodes in unison and in a direction to decrease the spark gaps of the several plugs, said means including a single operating element, a connection between said' element and I the priming device, andanother connection between the element and the movable electrodes. a y I 4. The combination of an internal combustion engine includinga plurality of cylin ders, aspark plug associated with each cyl' inder, each plug including two electrodes one being movable relative to the other to vary 1 the spark gap therebetween, an intake manitold, a carburetor including anormally inoperative priming device, yieldable .means i normally holding the movable: electrodes in Ill) position relative to the associated electrodes with maximum gaps therebetween, and: 

